I am seriously wishing I could rewind this month and do it over again, building in the appropriate amount of sewing time to achieve the bits and pieces I need to. Crazy doesn't begin to cover what July has been and all of a sudden it's the end of the month! Most alarmingly, I still have not finished my MIL's special birthday quilt which will be needed very soon and was planned to be finished by 31st - um, that's 3 days away! Quick ostrich impersonation may be required.
Anyway, earlier this month I did make these two pretty new ironing board covers for the sewing room boards. It was a weekend when I just couldn't face crawling around the floor in the sweltering heat trying to baste the sampler quilt - honest! (Might be regretting that now!)
I haven't chosen to cover them in my favourite fabrics because I suspect they will be grotty again soon, but some affordable, pretty pink and green gingham does the trick and is certainly an improvement on this stained, holey mess -
For both boards I simply cut fabric two inches bigger than the board itself, pinned and stitched white bias tape with the pull string tucked carefully inside it (so as not to sew through it) all around. Then, I cut one piece of leftover dec weight fabric and two layers of wadding to the exact size of the board, keeping the dec weight uppermost so it would be immediately underneath the gingham (to provide another layer between the heat of the iron and contact with the wadding). Stack them all in the right order, and place the upside down board on top and pull the cord tight. Tie off and hey presto! Pretty pressing boards!
The extra layer of wadding has made such a difference to how well things press on them now. Don't know why but it works.
Tip - keep the dec weight fabric pale enough that the colour or pattern doesn't show through your cover fabric.
Hope that all made sense!
